I'm a middle aged novice/intermediate sailor (2 yrs experience) looking at sailing single handed. I'm wondering if I can have peoples opinion of the Sabre V Laser and the different boats characteristics to help make a decision which way to go.

Performance wise Lasers point higher and are faster than a sabre with a larger sail area for the full rig compared to the Sabre. Lasers are also around in large numbers and for many sailors an enjoyable boat.

Given they are the olympic dinghy class, they also attract a number of sailors who can take there racing very very very seriously. This can be displayed on both land as well as out in the water. Depends on which club you goto of course but this alone can be an interesting experience.

Lasers can also be hard to handle on occasions, especially in waves or swell conditions with lots of chop. Not to mention in a blow when you may find yourself going in alot down wind or when gust blow you over. The Sabre is more forgiving in both these areas.

The Sabre was designed for Port Phillip Bay in Victoria which has lots of waves , chop , swell etc. so cruising on a nice fast reach and catching waves can be great fun. Given the hard chines of the Sabre , the boat rides waves and responds well. The Laser has a much rounder curved bottom so in the same conditions can be very unstable.

Unlike a laser you actually sit in a sabre. The Laser is a boat which you sit on. This may not sound like much but in winter you tend to stay a lot dryer and warmer in a Sabre.

Many ex-laser sailors come to the Sabre ranks because they suffer back problems from hiking out over time. The sabre is sailed in a more upright sitting position compared to the laser which does not place as much stress on the lower back when hiking.

I also think the average sabre looks far better than a laser but thats just a personal opinion. Some of the well put together wooden boats seem like works of art, and some have been restored from 20 + years ago to look bran new.

The end of the day it depends where your intending to sail and what fleet you will be sailing against ie size and experience. It also depends on what you are looking to get out of it. You can improve your sailing just as much in a Sabre as you can with a Laser but probably stay a little dryer in the process.

I tend to find the Sabre class has a large number of very good sailors who are very competitive but they have come to the age where they enjoy there sailing without having to spend a lot of time on land keeping extra fit. As as group they sail well , many having 10 to 30+ years experience but they are also happy to accomodate the less experienced.

The Sabre is a more forgiving boat to sail, but it also handles really well when placed in the right hands, and will give you a lot of fun over a large number of years. They are around in large numbers and fairly easy to get second hand. For a beginner to intermediate person, the Sabre represent good value, is a more forgiving boat and gives the owner a lot more room to improve.